Exclusive: Israel Phil ousts veteran chief

The Israel Philharmonic this morning advertised two job vacancies. One is for Secretary-General, a post held by Avi Shoshani since 1973. The other is for an artistic administrator.

Shoshani is finally going. He was just 25 when he took the job, acting as symbiotic partner to Zubin Mehta, minding the shop in his extended absences. With Mehta’s retirement he stayed on to ease the Barenboim-Mehta protege Lahav Shani into the job. He’s done now.

Shoshani has always had mixed reviews. On the one hand, he kept the orchestra financially and socially stable during difficult times, seeing it through an influx of hard-bitten Russian newcomers to the present, much younger and eclectic mix.

On the other hand, he made enemies unnecessarily around the world. Certain maestros and agents no longer take his calls. When the orchestra faced political protests on tour, he handled the issue tactlessly. He joined up with Martin Engstroem in founding oligarch-funded sub-festivals in Latvia and Georgia, engaging personal favourites from Verbier and Tel Aviv. His contacts book has grown smaller over time.

picture: Minding Zubin’s back in 2013